Well, I will start that I do give them points for retelling the story in an Inuit setting, something I've been wanting to see. Unfortunately, it is not the Inuit version of The Snow Queen we deserve.
I do wish they had changed the names of Kai and Gerda to reflect their culture. The episode follows the story nicely while making nods to it (ex. the Snow Queen claims she needs a little boy to take care of and one interpretation of the character is that she took Kai because of that same reason, along with offering him a better life) and even provides a similar sequence to the original Soviet film, with the image of the Snow Queen herself appearing before Kai and Gerda just before the former gets a splinter in his eye and heart. The Villain Song itself was executed pretty well, taking place in Kai's mind under the influence of the Snow Queen's magic.
The animation is all right. It's pretty typical '90s stuff. You can find better but you can also find worse.
Unfortunately, it is not without its drawbacks. This telling is odd at times with its pacing, doing away with the old woman that knew illusory magic, though the prince and princess were acceptable sacrifices, but having the Raven fly her over to a new location, it seemed like too much of a stretch. Right as Gerda starts her journey we quickly see her out to seaq. The Inuit flavor of this retelling is mostly a superficial one, though there is a reference to Nanook, the master of polar bears. For some reason the reindeer is not referred to as a caribou. Gerda having the power to summon spirit warriors and turn the Snow Queen's dogs to her side seems like some sort of ill-conceived cop-out in the final product. For whatever reason, they went with mainly African-American actors instead of mainly Native American ones. Though they do a good job, though Doug E. Doug gave the raven an annoying voice, I would have preferred Native American actors for the cast.
It's not fusing elements from the devils into the Snow Queen that bugs me. It's that whole "heart turned to ice" thing. It implies that she was once human and I prefer her to be an embodiment of winter, like in the original story.
I will give them points for the villain's end. The Snow Queen ends up getting pierced by her own icicle in the heart, finishing her off once and for all.
In the end, I am still hoping that someone will make an animated adaptation that takes place in Inuit setting, one that we deserve as this does not cut it.
WesternAnimation 310 - The Snow Queen
Well, I will start that I do give them points for retelling the story in an Inuit setting, something I've been wanting to see. Unfortunately, it is not the Inuit version of The Snow Queen we deserve.
I do wish they had changed the names of Kai and Gerda to reflect their culture. The episode follows the story nicely while making nods to it (ex. the Snow Queen claims she needs a little boy to take care of and one interpretation of the character is that she took Kai because of that same reason, along with offering him a better life) and even provides a similar sequence to the original Soviet film, with the image of the Snow Queen herself appearing before Kai and Gerda just before the former gets a splinter in his eye and heart. The Villain Song itself was executed pretty well, taking place in Kai's mind under the influence of the Snow Queen's magic.
The animation is all right. It's pretty typical '90s stuff. You can find better but you can also find worse.
Unfortunately, it is not without its drawbacks. This telling is odd at times with its pacing, doing away with the old woman that knew illusory magic, though the prince and princess were acceptable sacrifices, but having the Raven fly her over to a new location, it seemed like too much of a stretch. Right as Gerda starts her journey we quickly see her out to seaq. The Inuit flavor of this retelling is mostly a superficial one, though there is a reference to Nanook, the master of polar bears. For some reason the reindeer is not referred to as a caribou. Gerda having the power to summon spirit warriors and turn the Snow Queen's dogs to her side seems like some sort of ill-conceived cop-out in the final product. For whatever reason, they went with mainly African-American actors instead of mainly Native American ones. Though they do a good job, though Doug E. Doug gave the raven an annoying voice, I would have preferred Native American actors for the cast.
It's not fusing elements from the devils into the Snow Queen that bugs me. It's that whole "heart turned to ice" thing. It implies that she was once human and I prefer her to be an embodiment of winter, like in the original story.
I will give them points for the villain's end. The Snow Queen ends up getting pierced by her own icicle in the heart, finishing her off once and for all.
In the end, I am still hoping that someone will make an animated adaptation that takes place in Inuit setting, one that we deserve as this does not cut it.